


They Say He Was Something (In Those Formative Years)

by pyrrhical (anoyo)



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s01e14 Court Martial, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-21 17:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14290053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoyo/pseuds/pyrrhical
Summary: A young Jim Kirk has a night with the boys, adjusting to his first few months on a real Starship.





	They Say He Was Something (In Those Formative Years)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



> Dear recipient,
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! I tried to give a bit of young Kirk, on his first ship, with an episode tie-in to make it a little less obscure.
> 
> The title is from Tori Amos.
> 
> Beta'd by the ever-lovely [Sky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceruleansky/pseuds/ceruleansky), who helped me remember that not everyone has a creepy fascination with Texas Hold 'Em, or wants to be able to count cards in order to read a fanfic.

“You on second shift this week?” Cameron asked, dropping a couple fivers into the pool.

Jim met the engineer’s bid with two chips of his own. “Third,” he said, giving Cameron a slow smile. “I don’t think Lieutenant Campbell likes me much.”

Finney barked out a laugh. “Someone who doesn’t like you? I can’t believe it.” He smiled at Jim. “Must really be throwing you for a loop.” He flipped his own chips into the middle. 

“I’ll call,” Monson said, dropping two more chips. “Let’s see what the river gets us now, huh?” He burned a card then flipped the next face-up on the table. “Jack of Spades - who’s got another one?” 

Finney snuck a look at his cards and shrugged. “It sure ain’t me.” 

“All those Jacks,” Cameron said, giving a low whistle. “You got one more, you’re set.” He flung a single chip into the center, the minimum bet they’d set for their game.

“Plenty of people don’t like me,” Jim said, waving a hand as he dropped two chips on the table. “Monson there isn’t going to like me at the end of this round.”

“Hilarious,” Finney said, then dropped his cards. “I’m out.”

“Well, I’m not,” Monson said, dropping two chips and adding a third.

“Ooh, big spender!” Cameron laughed. “I’ll meet that.”

Jim dropped his three chips into the center at the same time Cameron did. “Call,” he said.

Monson dropped his cards face-up. “Full house,” he said, smiling and tapping his cards rhythmically. 

“Ouch!” Finney laughed, clapping Jim on the shoulder. “Eating your words, buddy?”

“Nah,” Jim said. He flipped his cards over slowly, as though dealing them.. “Straight flush.” He tapped out the straight in case anyone -- Cameron -- thought to argue. Jim smiled.

“ _Damn_ it,” Cameron said, throwing his cards up on the table, letting them flutter a bit. “Full house here too.” He scowled. “Thought I finally had something. He shoved lightly against Jim’s shoulder. “Can’t you lose?”

Jim dragged his winnings over to his side of the board and started to meticulously sort them as Cameron took over the deal.

“This hand is my hand,” Cameron said, pointing at Jim. “Cut.”

Jim did a lazy mid-deck cut and smiled at Finney. “See? Plenty of folks dislike me.”

Finney groaned. “I bet you my coffee ration Cameron asks you to marry him at least once tomorrow,” he said. “He might dislike you now, but he’s terminally incapable of keeping it going.”

Cameron grinned. “He’s right. Monson is probably the actual worst person ever and I proposed to him twice yesterday.”

“Someday,” Monson said, staring at Cameron, “someone’s going to say yes, and then what are you going to do?”

“Marry them,” Cameron said. He shrugged and grinned at the table. 

Before Monson could make the sarcastic reply Jim saw him gathering, Cameron’s comm chirruped an incoming message. Cameron set down the cards and pulled it out, answering, “Cameron.”

“Ensign,” a stern female voice said, “the Chief wants you back to engineering ASAP.”

Cameron made a face, but kept his voice even. “Did he say why, Lieutenant?”

Lieutenant Batteo was the engineer in charge of the warp cores. Jim had never met her, but he knew her on reputation. Her voice was crisp as she answered Cameron, “The coupling modification you did is causing an energy surge.”

“I’ll be right down,” Cameron said. He cringed as he ended the call. “I guess that’s it for me, guys.”

“For cards, or your balls?” Monson asked. “You might be giving up both.”

“Ha,” Cameron said, dropping his comm back into his pocket and jumping up off the bench. “Beat me again at poker tomorrow?”

“Sure thing,” Finney said, giving Cameron a shark’s smile.

Jim watched Cameron hurry down the corridor before stretching his arms above his head. “I don’t know about you two, but the game’s just not the same without a fourth.”

Monson nodded and Finney swiped up the cards. “Agreed,” Monson said as he pulled a silver case up from the floor next to him. He started sorting the chips into their rows before he asked, “What were we playing for again?”

“I think you wanted to borrow my chess set,” Jim said. “Cameron offered to stand up for your honor and Finney thought it would be entertaining.”

Monson grimaced. “Right. So that’s a no on the chess set.”

Jim laughed. “Sure you can borrow it, I just wanted to see you work for it.” He laughed again as he batted away the chip that Monson threw at his head. “I’ll bring it to shift tomorrow, you can get it during the changeover.”

“Third shift, right,” Monson said, leaning back in his seat as Finney slipped the cards back into their cardboard case and dropped them in front of him.. 

“I guess you’re out of poker night for a while.” Finney waved a hand in Jim’s direction. “Find someone to replace yourself if you’re going to deprive us of our fourth long-term.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jim said.

“All right, gentlemen,” Monson said, tipping an invisible hat. “I’m going to bunk out.”

“Here’s hoping it’s a quiet night,” Jim said. He leaned back in his chair as Finney raised a hand in silent farewell.

When Monson had passed through the rec room doors, Finney asked, “Want to play one last game of chess before Monson loses half the pieces?”

Jim raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Sure.” He stood up and stretched again before continuing, “Though why you want to torture yourself like that, I’ll never underst--” He cut off laughing as Finney shoved him.

“We’re Ensigns now,” Finney said, waving a hand to encompass the open space around them. “We have friends in other departments. The things we do really mean something.” He grinned. “It’s a totally new me.”

“It’s a three-months-new you,” Jim corrected. “We mess up and we’re back at the Academy. We earned this placement, but to them, we’re still kids.”

Finney walked over to the wall and ran his fingers over the _U.S.S. Republic_ engraved there, like a waymarker. His grin split his face when he turned back to Jim. “Then we’ll just have to prove them wrong.”

Jim shoved both hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I suppose we will.”


End file.
